Means for supporting and manipulating contact-shoes of electrically-propelled railway-cars.



m B .W u d e t n B a s a m K I.- A W E! L & s Q m s A Bu 6 "m M 7 7 6 0N MEANS FOR SUPPORTING AND MAMPULAHNG CONTACT SHOES 0F ELEGTBICALLYPROPELLED RAILWAY CABS.

(Application filed Feb. 21, 1801) y (lo llodal.) 2 Sheets-Sheet l.

Rms PETERS ca. momumq. wuummtm o c Patented July 2, I90l. H. c. HASTINGS& L. E. WALKINS. nuns Fun suvron'rma AND MANIPULYATING CONTACT-SHOES orELECTRIGALLY Pnursuzo RAILWAY cAns.

( Application filed Feb. 21. 1901.)

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HERBERT O. HASTINGS AND LOUIS E. WALKINS, OF SPRINGFIELD, MASSA-OHUSETTS, ASSIGNORS TO HENRY A. CHAPIN, OF SAME PLACE.

MEANS FOR SUPPORTING AND MANIPULATING CONTACT-SHOES OFELECTRlCALLY-PROPELLED RAILWAY- CARS.

SIEGIEIOATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 677,741, dated July 2,1901.

Application filed February 21, 1901. Serial No. 48,224. (No model.) I

To to whom it may concern: axle-boxes of a car-truck and of a portion ofBe it known that we, HERBERT O. HASTINGS the third rail and thesuperposed cover thereandLOUISEWALKINS, citizens of the United over andof the supporting-bracket thereof States, residing at Springfield, inthe county and the sleeper on which said bracket is supof Hampden andState of Massachusetts, have ported. Fig. 3 is a perspective View of ainvented, jointly, new and useful Improvemodified construction of theshoe-supporting ments in Means for Supporting and Manipuarm and itsconnect-ion for attachment to a lating the Contact-Shoes ofElectrically-Procar and illustrates the position of the shoe polledRailway-Oars, of which the following thereon.

1c is a specification- Referring to the drawings, 2 indicates the Thisinvention relates to third-rail railroad bracket forming the support ofthe third rail systems, and pertains to connections between 4 of therailroad system herein referred to. a car of such a system and the thirdrail there- Said third rail is shown in position under the 0f, theobject being to provide an improved curved extremity of said bracket,and a part I 5 construction of shoe-supporting devices beof said rail isalso shown in Fig. 2. 5 inditween said car and the third rail wherebythe cates an inverted trough-like covering of sheet manipulation of theshoe for connecting the metal, preferably attached to said bracket 2same with and disconnecting the shoe from by bolts, as indicated inFig. 1. In said Fig. the third rail is greatly facilitated and for dis-1, 7 indicates the usual tie-bar, which extends 2o posing of said shoeand its supporting devices between the pedestals of the axle-boxes 8 ofconveniently against the side of the car when a car-truck, and is shownin this figure as not in contact with the third rail; and the inboltedto the lower portion of the axle-box by vention consists in the peculiarconstruction the requisite number of bolts 9. Hingeand arrangement ofthe shoe-supporting arm brackets 10 for the shoe-arm carrier 10 are 25and the connections of the latter carried on bolted by bolts 13 to saidtie-bar 7, and said a car and means for locking said arm and carrierlOisattached to said hinge-bracketlO shoe in operative position and forunlocking by the pintle 20. Extending in opposite directhe same, wherebythey are removed from untions from the sides of said shoe-arm carrierder and away from the third rail in substan 10 are handles 11, which inpractice are cov 3o tially the plane of the contact-surface thereeredwith suitable insulating material,- and 8c of and disposed of asaforesaid. said handle serves for swinging the shoe-arm In the drawingsforming part of this speci 12 and the shoe 17 thereon upwardly, asindification, Figure 1 is a side elevation showing cated in dotted linesin Fig. 1, and for returna portion of a car-wheel, a section .of a railing the shoe 17 to adownward position when 5 thereunder, a car-axle boxin side elevation, tobe again connected with the third rail 4.shoe-supporting devices, and a shoe thereon Said shoe is bolted to thearm 12 in the manconnected indirectly with said axle-box. This nerillustrated. On said hinge-bracket 10 is figure also illustrates athird-rail-supporting a fixed segment 16, which serves in connecbracket,showing said rail in section supporttion with a bolt 18 to hold the saidshoe-arm 40 ed thereunder, said vbracket being shown in carrier 10 indifferent positions, as described 0 side elevation, the position'of thesaid shoe below. This bolt 18, one end of which (when andshoe-supportingdevices when disconthe shoe and the arm are in the positions nected fromthe third rail being indicated in shown in Fig.1 for operative actionwith the this figure in dotted lines. Fig. 1 is a secthird rail 4) hasits upper extremity reaching 45 tional view of the shoe-arm support ofFig. 1, under the lower edge of said segment 16, therea side elevationof said arm therein, and an by holds that arm from upward movement endview of the shoe on said arm. Fig. 2 is when the shoe 17 and its arm 12are moved a plan view of the shoe, the shoe-carrying (10- toward the carto disconnect the two from vices, and the connection between'a sectionthe third rail. Upon moving the shoe, as last 50 of a tie-bar extendingin practice between the described, the set-screw 19, having a wrench-I'oo handle fixed thereon, as shown, is turned to free said arm fromsaid carrier 10 and to permit the arm and the shoe to be moved away fromsaid third rail 4 rearwardly, more or less, as illustrated in Fig. 1,thereby bringing said shoe 17 and its arm 12 to a position free from thesaid third rail, which permits them to be swung upwardly, as aforesaid.A rearwardly-extending arm 22 is provided on said shoe-arm carrier 10,which arm 22 extends under the part of said hinge-bracket 10, as shownin Fig. 1, and'between said arm 22 and said hinge part 10 is a spiralspring 21, which acts normally to swing thethirdrail contact-shoe 17against the third rail, thereby holding said shoe in proper electriccontact therewith. For the purpose of holding said spring in position onsaid arm 22a bolt 15, having a head on its lower end, restin g on theupper side of said last-named arm, has a shank passing upwardly throughsaid spring 21 and through the parts beneath the tie-bar 7 and throughthe flange of the lat ter, as shown, and has a nut thereon, as shown,near its upper end, which prevents said spring and bolt fromdisplacement when the arm 22 shall be swung downwardly from under saidspring in carrying the shoe-supporting parts upward to the positionindicated, as aforesaid, in Fig. 1.

14 indicates suitable insulating material between said tie-bar 7 and thepart of said hinge-bracket 10 which is held under said tie-bar, asbefore described.

An electric connection tis shown in Fig. 1, which forms part of a linebetween any suitable source of electricity and the arm 12 and its shoe17 and the devices supporting said arm. Said arm may have suitableinsulating material applied to that part of the same which is graspedfor movingthe same within the armcarrier 10*. The handle of theset-screw 19 and the head of the bolt 18 are in practice protected byinsulating-covering also.

The operation of the above-desciibed shoesupporting devices inseparating said shoe from the third rail 4 and removing it from underthe same and for replacing the -shoe in operative position under saidthird rail, as in Fig. 1, is as follows: The set-screw 19 is unscrewed,thereby leaving the shoe-arm 12 thereunder free to be moved, togetherwith the shoe 17, from under said third rail toward the axle-box 8, andthen by drawing the bolt 18, so that its inner extremity shall be beyondthe periphery of the outer border of the segment 16, said arm and shoemay be swung upwardly to the positions indicated substantially by thedotted lines in Fig. 1, said bolt 18 when said arm and shoe are in saidupward position becoming automatically engaged by one end with the upperedge of said segment 16, thereby holding said part in the upwardposition referred to. To replace said shoe beneath and in contact withthe third rail 4, the said bolt 18 is Withdrawn from engagement withsaid segment 16, the shoe-arm 12 is carried sufieiently far intoth'e's'hoe-arni carrier 10 to allow the end thereof to swing downwardlyclear of the side of the bracket 2, which adjoins the car, and thelast-movement is followed by drawing the shoe-arm 12 out fromits carriersufficiently to bring said shoe to the position under the third rail 4,(indicated in Fig. 1,) after which said setscrew 19 is screwed againagainst the arm 12, thereby locking the latter to the shoe-arm carrierand holding the parts in operative position for proper electricconnection between the car and said third rail. It is obvious that bythe described retirement of the said shoe from under the third railtoward the car such a complete separation of said shoe and rail iseffected as leaves the car free from electromotor action withoutswinging the shoe upward, as aforesaid.

The modified construction shown in Fig. 3 provides for the connection ofthe shoe-arm there shown and indicated by 12 with the under side of thecarrier 10 by said set-screw 19, the under side of said shoe-arm carrierin this instance being received in a groove on the upper face of saidshoe-arm 12, whereby the shoe-carrying end of said arm is held againstlateral motion, but may slide under said shoe-arm carrier back andforth, as above described, for changing the position of said shoerelative to the third rail 4, as above set forth. The said shoe-armcarrier and arm in this instance are locked together by a bolt 19*,passing upwardly through a slot 23 in said shoe-arm 12 and through theend of said shoe-arm carrier 10 and there secured by a nut on which is ahandle, as shown. For the purpose of conveniently shifting the positionof said shoe 17, as above described, expeditiously it is preferred thatthe nut shown in Fig. 3 on the bolt 19, which looks the two parts thereshown together, shall have a permanent handle thereon,which ispermanently in position for use.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim,and desire to secureby Letters Pat ent of the United States, is-- 1. In an electric-railwaysystem comprising a suspended third rail, presenting its under surfacefor shoe-contact, a shoe for electrical contact with said under surfaceof said rail, and means connecting said shoe with a car, whereby saidshoe is maintained in operative contact with said under railsurface, andmeans whereby the same may be moved hori zontally from under said railtoward said car,

'whereby said shoe is moved in substantially a right line from said carto a contact position under said rail and is withdrawn therefrom, andmeans for locking said arm and shoe in either of said two positions,substantially as described.

3. In an electric-railway system of the class described, an arm carryingthe contact-shoe of the third rail, a swinging arm-carrier pivotallyconnected to the side of a car, means for slidingly connecting said armand carrier, a segmental projection on a fixed part of said pivotconnections adjoining the car, and a sliding bolt on said carrierengaging said projection and retaining said carrier, supporting-arm,andshoe, in upwardly or downwardly swung positions, substantially asdescribed.

4:. In an electric-railway system comprising a suspended third rail, ashoe forelectrical contact with the under side of said rail, and meansconnecting said shoe with a car whereby said shoe is maintained inoperative contact with said rail, and whereby the same may be moved fromunder said rail and swung upward to a position opposite the side of saidcar, and means whereby said shoe may be supported in said removedposition, substantially as described.

HERBERT C. HASTINGS. LOUIS E. WALKINS.

Witnesses:

H. A. OHAPIN, K. I. OLEMoNs.

